The Mighty Mo

There is only one river with a personality, 
a sense of humor, and a woman's caprice;
a river that goes traveling sidewise,
that interferes in politics, 
rearranges geography, and dabbles in real estate;
a river that plays hide and seek with you today
and tomorrow follows you around like a pet
dog with a dynamite cracker tied to his tail.
That river is the Missouri.
                                          -George Fitch, circa 1840


Sunday afternoon below Big Bend Dam...
it looked pretty normal - 
boats galore...






The boats charge up to the dam 
cast their lines in the water
and as they ride the fast water
backward they're reeling in as
many walleye as they can!


See the big red sign?
KEEP BACK 400 Feet!


Even 400 feet looks too close for me!
Especially, this weekend
as 130,000 cubic feet of water per second
are raging through the Oahe Dam
just north of Big Bend!


Notice the stairs and fence and how 
high the water is!!



For the first time in the dam's history
(since 1963)
the U.S. Corps of Engineers
opened the spillway here at Big Bend.
This decision was prompted
by flooding concerns due to
heavy rains in the northern plains
and heavy snow pack in the Rocky Mountains.





Many low lying communities
have been sand-bagging, building levees
and evacuating their homes
in preparation.  
Today the spillways and dam were
opened to the maximum
150,000 cubic feet per second.
All of us here in the 
Missouri River basin
are holding our breath!

Look out below, the water is a comin'!

Comments

barb said…
Did you get some walleye? I'll be there for lunch, fish and chips?
It's been a long time since I've been up on that part of the Missouri. we took a Lewis and Clark tour by boats, though, and it was fun.
Sharon said…
I think I would believe the sign, that is dangerous! Some fishermen think they are being adventurous, I call it plain stupid.

That's a lot of water, kind of knew there would be problems when it kept snowing up there.

Good shots, looks like a beautiful day!
betty said…
it is beautiful there!! It is good they have ways to release some of the water too in hopes of trying to avoid too much flooding; record year all around for precipitation!

have a great Thursday!

betty

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